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EAT THEIR WORDS EAT THEIR WORDS

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By JEFF HOUCK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2008

"Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes," by Jennifer McLagan (Ten Speed Press, $32.50)

How misunderstood is fat? Somewhere on a scale between Jerry Lewis and Carrot Top. The American obsession for ridding our food of it has contributed to something akin to a culinary apocalypse. McLagan explains the science and history of fat (and fat phobia) and also explores why it is important in the kitchen. Namely, it is fundamental to the flavor of our food. She then spends another 200 or so pages detailing all the glorious ways to employ it in moderation in some pretty tasty-looking dishes. Oh, and she dubs pork fat "The King." All hail.

"Dessert Express," by Lauren Chattman (Taunton, $17.95)

Dessert is that anomaly: It's the part of the meal we look forward to the most but which we tend to spend the least amount of time concocting. Chattman includes 100 dishes that can be made in 30 minutes or less and shares tips for streamlining your dessert cooking. Do not read on an empty stomach.

"Totally Vegetarian," by Toni Fiore (Da Capo/Lifelong, $27.50)

Subtitled "Easy, Fast, Comforting Cooking for Every Kind of Vegetarian," Fiore, who hosts the "Totally Vegetarian" series on public television, includes recipes for such dishes as corn bread, pizza and pot stickers that even nonvegetarians can enjoy. Especially helpful is the list of tips for keeping organic foods available on your table and within your budget.

"Hometown Appetites: The Story of Clementine Paddleford," by Kelly Alexander and Cynthia Harris (Gotham, $17.50)

Before there were Julia Child and James Beard, there was Clementine Paddleford, a New York City food writer who explored regional food customs at a time when culinary journalism in the pre-World War ll United States was limited to practical and cost-saving cooking tips. Now largely forgotten and overlooked, Paddleford's legacy is restored by this book to its rightful place as a pioneering body of work. The recipes included in the book alone provide a fascinating glimpse of what foods were considered exotic or quaint in those days.

Jeff Houck

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